Julien Alexandre's Homebrew Belt Grinder Is Under Arduino Opta Control

Architect and roboticist Julien Alexandre needed a belt grinder for a workshop, and rather than buying one off-the-shelf decided to build his own — under the watchful control of an Arduino Opta micro programmable logic controller (PLC).

"This is a 2.2kW belt grinder that I have completely designed and manufactured, except for the wheel set," Alexandre says of his creation. "The modular frame can be tilted for vertical or horizontal use and allows the use of multiple end tooling and work table. The use of linear bearings and lead screw for the belt tensioning mechanism is overkill, but it does allow for a very fine adjustment of belt tension. It can accommodate a range of different belt sizes around the 2000×50mm standard."

The beastly tool, designed to run a belt covered in abrasive grit at high speed for grinding down material and brought to our attention by the Arduino blog, is primarily built from second-hand mechanical and electrical components — allowing Alexandre to put together something with industrial specifications at an affordable price. There's a three-phase AC motor, tension control, and angle-adjustable belt — and the assembly can lay flat on the table or be positioned at 90 degrees.

Controlling the electronics is an Arduino Opta, the company's compact micro PLC designed for industrial automation and control. Two of the Opta's inputs monitor for errors in the safety chain, while a chunky and easy-to-reach control panel is used to signal the motor controller. Safety is, naturally, a core concern, and alongside the Opta is a Pilz safety relay module — and, as all machines of its type should have, there's an emergency stop button should anything go wrong.

Alexandre has shared more information on this and other projects on his Instagram account; you can read more about the Arduino Opta range in our hands-on feature.